An Unexpected Parallel?

If there is one politician whose practices you would not want to parallel it is Boris Johnson: a man known for acting according to his own personal interests and in defiance of any moral or constitutional obligations. Yet by pressuring the Speaker of the House into deviating from constitutional precedent for purely political purposes, Keir Starmer did just that.

Boris Johnson attempted to shut down parliament to force through Brexit. He sought to circumvent the democratic process by disapplying constitutional rules and procedures where they inconvenienced him. He ultimately failed.

Keir Starmer pressured the Speaker of the House into going against the advice of his expert clerks and disapplying constitutional precedent in a way which protected the Labour party politically. He circumvented the debate day process which is designed to give democratically elected minority members the voice that they were elected to express. He succeeded.

Both Johnson and Starmer disrespected democracy by circumventing parliamentary procedure for their own political purposes. Both thought it acceptable to manipulate the rules so that their personally preferred outcome was reached. Both thought it acceptable to silence elected members who disagreed with them. Both have tarnished their credibility as democrats.